Another variation of Julia’s crazy clematis cookie! One of the advantages of the piecework technique used here is that the individual icing parts can be shuffled around to try out layouts before anything gets permanently committed to cookies. Another advantage
Wow, just look at this 17-piece flower! Each petal was individually handpiped, shaped, and dried before being airbrushed to introduce realistic gradations of color. A complex propping process was also required to keep the tiny pink petals upright during the
Here, the view on Julia’s dogwood cookies has shifted to hopefully give you a better appreciation for how dimensional these cookies appear from all angles. By making all of the flower parts as royal icing transfers, Julia is able to
Though this overhead view of Julia’s dogwood cookies doesn’t highlight their full dimensionality, it sure is a pleasing one from a photo composition standpoint! It also underscores how using a common cutter shape (Julia’s Genie Plaque) can create a unifying
To make her true-to-life florals, Julia always studies the real flowers long before she starts any decorating and then devises ways to replicate the critical details in cookies or icing. When the flowers are out of season, she relies on
Not only are this cookie’s royal icing details incredible, but they are also beautifully underscored by Julia’s choice of background stencil. She elected to use one of her own design (the background stencil in her Mr. & Mrs. Prettier Plaques™
Yes, there are just so many pretty ways to configure these royal icing dogwood pieces into splendid designs. In this vignette, a cookie with a pink stenciled background looks stunning against the backdrop of others all in white. For more
Bet you did a double take when you first saw these snowdrop cookies! Yes, they’re so lifelike that they easily trick people into thinking they’re the real thing. After studying countless photographs and actual plant specimens, Julia experimented with icing
Given the amount of thought and work that went into each snowdrop flower, it would have been easiest for Julia to skimp on these cookies’ backgrounds. But, oh no! No inveterate more-is-more person ever cuts corners. For the backgrounds, Julia
One of the pluses of Julia’s piecework technique is that all of the royal icing parts can be made well in advance and stored until assembly-time on cookies. Another plus: The pieces can be arranged and rearranged to your heart’s
As noted elsewhere, Julia’s piecework technique, which was used to create this dimensional snowdrop cookie, leads to so much design flexibility and versatility. Just by rearranging the individual royal icing pieces (flowers, leaves, and so forth), you can create so
Here’s a side view of Julia’s hibiscus cookies, just to demonstrate how truly dimensional they are. Get a load of the central pistils! They’re made entirely of piped royal icing, yet look so realistic. To find out how Julia piped
Making these hyper-realistic hibiscus cookies is a bit like taking a trip to a tropical paradise without ever leaving the comfort of the kitchen. These cookies may look challenging (and, admittedly, they are), but you too can make them, thanks
Comprised entirely of contoured royal icing transfers, these tropical hibiscus cookies are obviously quite delicate. But that doesn’t mean you need to treat them with kid gloves once you’re done making them. That’s right – though they are designed to
As you can see in this vertical view, Julia’s plumeria cookies look pleasing from all angles – one of the major pluses of her trademark piecework technique! Because this technique builds dimension through the layering of individual royal icing pieces,
Admittedly, Julia took a risk with this cookie. Just take a look at the small stem-lets to which each flower or bud is attached. They were piped with the equivalent of a PME #00 tip and required ultra-precise placement to
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